History’s Greatest Hoaxes

These are the stories of the world’s greatest hoaxes through the eyes of the people who set them up and shut them down.

We’ll explain how historical circumstances sometimes allowed pretty unlikely hoaxes to take root and introduce some very unusual people, including the convicted murderer behind the ‘Papillon’ controversy and the man who for 20 years has camped out on the shores of Loch Ness seeking a glimpse, any glimpse, of the Loch Ness monster. Who dreamed up the hoaxes? Why did they do it? Who exposed them and what were the consequences?

Featuring new footage from the locations made famous by the hoaxes, new interviews with those involved, carefully researched archive footage, specially filmed recreations and reconstructions and contributions from leading authorities and experts, History’s Greatest Hoaxes proves beyond question the old adage; you can fool some of the people some of the time…